Henry Cejudo made a grand entrance at the official weigh-ins for UFC 288, leaving no doubt that "The King of Cringe" had returned.
As the first fighter to step onto the scale, the former two-division champion wasted no time and hit championship weight, tipping the scales at exactly 135 pounds. In contrast, his opponent, Aljamain Sterling, who is the defending bantamweight titleholder, weighed in as the second-to-last fighter and came in at 134 pounds, a pound under the limit.
Watch highlights of the official weigh-ins below.
Henry Cejudo's appearance at the weigh-ins for UFC 288 marked his first in almost three years. The 36-year-old fighter had last competed in May 2020 at UFC 249, where he successfully defended the bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz and then announced his retirement during his post-fight interview.
Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling aimed to achieve his third consecutive defense of the UFC bantamweight championship, which would set a company record, although Dominick Cruz previously held four straight title defenses across the WEC and the UFC.
The co-main event featured Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns, both top welterweight contenders, who made weight without any issues. Muhammad stepped onto the scale at 170 pounds, while Burns weighed in at 171 pounds.
However, the official weigh-ins encountered some problems as one bout was canceled and another was changed to a catchweight due to a fighter missing weight. Zhalgas Zhumagulov made weight at 125.5 pounds, but his opponent, Rafael Estevam, was pulled from their flyweight bout due to weight management issues, causing the fight's cancellation.
In contrast, Joseph Holmes, who tipped the scales at 189 pounds, was three pounds over the limit, which includes the one-pound allowance for a non-title fight. As a result, his bout with Claudio Ribeiro proceeded as a catchweight, and Holmes had to forfeit 20% of his purse as a penalty.